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Opposition leader Karroubi is attacked, website reports

Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi was attacked upon leaving a mosque in eastern Tehran, his party's website reported, after he accused the government of "dipping its hand in people's blood" on another opposition site.

AFP - Mehdi Karroubi, one of Iran's top opposition leaders and a defeated presidential candidate, was attacked upon leaving a mosque in eastern Tehran, his party's website reported Monday.

"Mehdi Karroubi, who was with his family attending a mourning ceremony... in a mosque in eastern Tehran, was attacked by some rogue assailants," his Etemademelli party said on its Sahamnews.org website.

"His vehicle was attacked and the front window was broken, the attackers escaped when people intervened," the website added without elaborating on the time of the incident.

Earlier in the day, Karroubi condemned "despicable violence" during clashes on Sunday between police and opposition protestors.

In a statement carried by Rahesabz opposition website, he accused the government of "dipping its hand in people's blood and unleashing a savage group on the people."

"Defiance and disrespecting the law and people's rights have inflicted irreversible costs for seven months on the country and people," Karroubi said.

On Sunday, police fired teargas and used batons to disperse crowds and according to witnesses and the opposition later resorted to live rounds, marking the bloodiest showdown in months.

State-run English language Press TV put the death toll from the clashes at eight, quoting an official with Iran's Supreme National Security Council. It did not specify where the victims were killed.

Karroubi along with opposition leader Mir Hossien Mousavi did not accept the result of Iran's June 12 presidential election in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected, branding the outcome as "rigged."